


Pawns In The Universe's Game

by BitchKuroo



Category: Haikyuu!!
Genre: Alternate Universe - Soulmates, Angst, BAKT isn't endgame, Hurt/Comfort, Implied Sexual Content, M/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-09-20
Updated: 2020-11-15
Packaged: 2021-03-07 17:07:17
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 3,430
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26561125
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/BitchKuroo/pseuds/BitchKuroo
Summary: Tsukishima wasn’t entirely sold on this whole soulmate thing. There were too many uncertainties, too many unknown variables for the universe to be able to pair him up with a perfect match.AKATsukishima just wants to live his life ignoring the marks, but that seems impossible when the universe seems intent on messing him around.
Relationships: Akaashi Keiji/Bokuto Koutarou, Akaashi Keiji/Bokuto Koutarou/Kuroo Tetsurou/Tsukishima Kei, Akaashi Keiji/Kuroo Tetsurou, Akaashi Keiji/Tsukishima Kei, Bokuto Koutarou/Kuroo Tetsurou, Bokuto Koutarou/Tsukishima Kei, Kageyama Tobio/Kunimi Akira, Kageyama Tobio/Kunimi Akira/Tsukishima Kei, Kageyama Tobio/Tsukishima Kei, Kunimi Akira/Tsukishima Kei, Kuroo Tetsurou/Tsukishima Kei
Comments: 22
Kudos: 148





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> this is my first fully planned multichapter fic, and i hope to keep to a sunday update schedule.

Tsukishima Kei was unlucky enough to be saddled with three soul marks. All three of them resided on his inner left wrist, a wrist he took great care in making sure it was always covered. As far as marks go, they weren’t the worst things in the world. There was a small grey owl, a bouquet of forget me nots and a black pawprint. At least it wasn’t a crow being electrocuted like Asahi’s was. It still wasn’t exactly normal to have more than one soulmate, let alone three. Tsukishima preferred going through life unbothered and relatively unseen- as unseen as someone can be when they’re over 6’ in Japan. Multiple soul marks lead to uncomfortable questions and probing that Tsukishima would really rather not deal with. His marks weren’t that interesting, and they definitely weren’t descriptive enough for him to immediately recognise his soulmates by appearance alone, so he was going to have to rely on the supposed warming sensation his marks would give off when they first touched him, if they ever did.

Honestly, Tsukishima wasn’t entirely sold on this whole soulmate thing. There were too many uncertainties, too many unknown variables for the universe to be able to pair him up with a perfect match. There’s even stories of the universe getting it _wrong_ and people going from having a soul mate to a scar overnight. It had happened to Tsukishima’s brother, a circular scar covering the spot his mark used to be. He had a new mark now, but that wasn’t the point. The point was that his brother had to go through the pain of watching his mark fade and scar because the universe realised that it had made a mistake. Plus, soulmates tear families apart, if his family was anything to go by. His parents hadn’t been soul pairs, and they’d been completely happy, until his dad found his soulmate and abandoned them to run off with her, leaving his mother heartbroken and the seat at the head of their table upsettingly empty.

All of this contributed toward why Tsukishima was currently hiding in a supply closet in one of Shinzen’s many gyms, clutching his wrist and praying to anyone who would listen that he was just having an extreme allergic reaction to something he’d encountered during the day, and not a sign of his soulmates. Please don’t be his soulmates. Maybe if he said it enough, the universe would take pity on him and get rid of his marks altogether. He didn’t want this. Why couldn’t he just have Akaashi? He was quiet and calm, but he was also quick-witted and sarcastic, and Tsukishima had been holding back laughs at the comments Akaashi would mumble under his breath for only him and Tsukishima to hear all night. Kuroo and Bokuto were too much. They were tactile, and loud, and they both seemed to lose brain cells any time they were in a ten-metre radius of each other, and Tsukishima was supposed to be stuck with them for life? Why was the universe punishing him? Sure, he wasn’t a saint, but he didn’t deserve this.

He knew they were outside, waiting for him to come out so they could pounce. Luckily, Tsukishima happened to be the most stubborn person he knew. They probably thought they were being sneaky, as if Tsukishima didn’t know that Kuroo and Bokuto were waiting outside the closet for him. Ignoring the fact that he could _feel_ them, Bokuto apparently didn’t have a volume dial, or an off switch. Akaashi wasn’t with them, probably because he knew better than to corner someone into admitting they’re your soulmate. It’s not that he disliked Kuroo and Bokuto, it was just that they were a lot to handle, especially for an introvert. Tsukishima wasn’t entirely sure how Akaashi managed it, especially because he seemed even more introverted than Tsukishima.

Tsukishima knew he couldn’t avoid them forever. The universe had decided they were right for him, so he might as well give them a chance. They deserved that much, even if Tsukishima wasn’t holding much hope of them actually working out. The people waiting on the other side of the door for him are supposed to be perfect matches for him and his soul, and that isn’t something to take to lightly. Not to mention, some people never get the chance to meet their soulmates, but he was planning on ignoring all three of his when most people long for the chance to know their soulmates. He wasn’t that selfish.

With a deep breath, and a stance that was a lot more confident than he felt, Tsukishima stepped out of the closet, and into the blinding presence of his soulmates.


	2. Chapter 2

Video calls had become Tsukishima’s best friend. They allowed him a way to see each of his boyfriends that didn’t involve a three-hour train ride and meticulous planning to get them all in the same place at the same time without their schedules clashing. Kuroo and Bokuto weren’t feeling the distance as much as Tsukishima and Akaashi were. They lived together, in a tiny studio flat close to Kuroo’s university and Bokuto’s team. They got to wake up next to each other, go to sleep holding each other, while Akaashi and Tsukishima were stuck watching their lives progress through a screen. They missed them, of course they did, but both of them were slightly too busy to feel the separation between the four of them the way Akaashi and Tsukishima were.

The distance was hitting Akaashi the hardest. He suddenly went from seeing Bokuto everyday to seeing him once a month if he was lucky. After every visit, Akaashi would call Tsukishima, tears streaming down his face, as he spoke about how comfortable Kuroo and Bokuto were together, and how they didn’t seem to notice how far the four of them had grown apart since they had moved in together. Tsukishima didn’t have the heart to tell Akaashi that it hurt to hear him complain about things like this when Tsukishima was right there whenever he needed, when Tsukishima was actually surprised if any of the other three texted him first. He’d been the latest to join the relationship, he lived the furthest away, and he was the youngest. He couldn’t help but feel that he was an outsider in his own relationship. The other three were perfectly in sync, but Tsukishima was always too quiet or too mean. Since Kuroo and Bokuto graduated, a feeling has been growing in him, that maybe he was right when he thought the universe had made a mistake, because he just didn’t fit the way the stories told him he was supposed to.

So, he stayed quiet, kept his opinions to himself because Akaashi needed him, and he refused to make Akaashi feel worse about the situation because Tsukishima felt insecure. He told Akaashi that everything would change when he graduated, that these feelings would just be a bad memory, because Kuroo and Bokuto looked at Akaashi like he’d hung the moon, and how could they not? Akaashi was perfect, that was just a fact of the universe at this point. Realistically, Tsukishima knew that nobody was completely without flaws, but Akaashi must’ve been pretty close. Tsukishima considered himself lucky to be able to occupy the same space as him, let alone be able to call Akaashi his soulmate. If Akaashi needed someone to reassure him, to remind him that he was so incredibly loved, Tsukishima would happily fill that role. Even if that role meant that no one would do the same for him.

Tsukishima kept this role throughout his entire second year, locking away his insecurities and feelings of inadequacy so tightly that he actually started to believe himself when he told Akaashi that everything would work itself out. Tsukishima ignored how his marks seemed less vibrant than they did at the start. Sometimes soulmates go through rough patches, it was to be expected. Every relationship had its troubles. When, _if_ his mind screamed at him, they got through this, they would be stronger. Sure, Kuroo and Bokuto were closer to each other than they were to Akaashi and Tsukishima, but the same could be said for them. They just needed to relearn each other, that was all.

When Akaashi’s graduation rolled around, all three of them made an effort to be there. Ennoshita understood, and even pushed Tsukishima into going to Akaashi’s instead of theirs. Kuroo would be coming for the second half, because he was going to Kenma’s first. It was the first time Tsukishima would be seeing Kuroo and Bokuto since nationals last year. He hadn’t been able to make it down for their graduations, and none of them had made plans for any of their birthdays beyond calling. He felt bad admitting that he was scared. Not the easily ignorable kind that presented itself as butterflies in your stomach, but the all-encompassing, nauseating kind that paralyses you and leaves you wondering if you would survive it. He didn’t want to analyse why the mere thought of seeing all of his boyfriends in one space for the first time in over a year was able to completely destroy him and leave him shaking and gasping for breath as he tried to claw his way back to some semblance of sanity.

As always, Tsukishima swallowed his fear. This was Akaashi’s day, and he refused to let his stupid brain ruin it for him.


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> sorry for the wait. to make up for how long this chapter took, I'm updating twice today.

After Akaashi graduated, things changed. He moved into Kuroo and Bokuto’s apartment, the distance he’d been so scared of last year disappearing almost as soon as he’d finished unpacking. It disappeared so quickly, that it was hard to imagine it being there at all. However, Tsukishima still felt it, like a stab to the chest. Except, now it hurt more, because Akaashi was part of the problem now. It was as if Tsukishima didn’t exist to the three of them anymore.

They never called him, all claiming to be too busy. His birthday was spent with his Karasuno friends, none of his boyfriends able to get time away from their studies or practice to come see him, despite the fact that 18 years old is sort of a big deal. He wasn’t angry about that, he knew their studies were more important than his birthday, especially if Kuroo wanted to be able to keep up his grades and stay on the volleyball team. What he was angry at, was that, so far, he hadn’t even gotten a text wishing him a happy birthday, and the day was nearly over. All three of them had forgotten his birthday, and it _hurt._ They were supposed to be together, the four of them, perfectly matched according to the universe. What a load of shit, honestly. 

He tried not to listen to the part of his brain screaming _they don’t want you_. They weren’t purposefully hurting him, they were just busy. That’s what he kept telling himself.

He told himself he didn’t mind that they never came to visit him at the Tokyo training camp, even when Kenma came to check in on the Nekoma third years. Even when Lev made an offhand comment about Kuroo coming to a practise a few weeks ago. They were just busy, it wasn’t a personal attack. He noted Kageyama staring at him, pity lacing his features. He didn’t want pity, especially not from someone whose soulmate won’t talk to him. Although, Kageyama’s mark hadn’t scarred, only faded, so there was definitely some sort of feelings on both ends.

As the year progressed, Tsukki became more and more detached from his boyfriends. He refused to call them his soulmates at this point. His marks were faded, the bright colours now dull and washed out. Akaashi’s forget-me-nots appearing wilted and yellowed. Kuroo’s and Bokuto’s hadn’t changed from last year, but that was because they were already faded. He hadn’t told Akaashi when he first noticed, because he knew it would cause needless worry. Now, he wondered whether he should’ve mentioned it, let Akaashi know that his marks were fading so he could bring it up with the others. It wouldn’t have changed anything in the long run. Tsukki knew that for certain. He could already tell that the universe had once again made a mistake. His graduation hadn’t been a lonely affair by any means. Kenma came to see Hinata of when he went to Brazil, and all of their seniors came to wish them well. The only people actually absent were Kuroo, Bokuto and Akaashi. Tsukishima had texted them the date, one of the only actual conversations they’d had this year, desperately clinging to the hope that they’d show up and everything would be ok. But they hadn’t come. His last attempt at saving their relationship, if it can even be called that, and they couldn’t even be bothered to come.

They hadn’t mentioned his future plans when he brought up graduation, and he knew now it was because they didn’t care. They hadn’t asked when, or if, he was going to be moving in with them. He wasn’t. It was decided a while ago, when things started getting truly bad, that Tsukishima would move in with Kageyama in Sendai. Tsukishima was going to university there, and was looking at playing for a League Two team, whereas Kageyama had been signed onto a pro team based in Sendai. They were rooming together to say money, and because, as much as it pains Tsukishima to admit, they _were_ friends. Kageyama also understood what Tsukki was going through, what with having a soulmate who won’t talk to him.

Yamaguchi and Yachi helped move them in, Hinata too busy packing for Brazil to be of any use, although he sent his love along with Yachi. Akiteru dropped off a ‘housewarming gift’ which was a six pack of beer. Once everyone was gone, Tsukishima sank into the sofa next to Kageyama, drained from a day full of labour and socialising. Kageyama handed him a beer, which Tsukishima took gratefully. He couldn’t help but feel guilty about not telling his soulmates about his college plans, before remembering that they hadn’t asked, and that they obviously didn’t care.

Two hours later, the six pack was gone, and both Tsukishima and Kageyama were warm and happily buzzed. Kageyama had made a joke about the universe screwing them over, which had led to a loud “fuck the universe” from Tsukishima. Over the course of the night, they’d migrated closer together, until their sides were pressed against each over, legs tangled up as Tsukishima rested his head on Kageyama’s shoulder. An easy silence had settled over the two of them, both of them content to exist in each other’s presence. Kageyama was the first to speak, a quiet whisper of Tsukishima’s given name, the first time it had been used by him. When Tsukishima looked up, he was met with Kageyama’s gaze, wearing a look far too tender to be directed at him. Kageyama said something about flipping the universe off and choosing their own paths, and the next thing Tsukishima knew, they were kissing. Lips pressed against each other hungrily, desperately clinging to this act of affection. Kageyama’s thumb stroked Tsukishima’s cheek, gentle in a way none of Tsukishima’s boyfriends had ever been with him. There was no urgency to the kiss, it was slow and deep, and amazing. They were simply drinking each other in, letting their hands explore strong backs and wide shoulders.

When Kei woke up in the morning, body surrounded by warmth, and basically smothered by the over occupant of the bed, his wrist burned, a pain that had only happened once before. Looking down at his left wrist, Tsukishima saw three round scars where his marks used to be. A glance at his other wrist showed that he now possessed two new soul-marks. A crow wearing a crown inside a laurel wreath. The laurel wreath was familiar, a mark he’d kissed last night to help Kageyama forget. The crow, however, could only represent one person, and he was asleep next to him, marks littering his body, a calm smile on his face as he was bathed in the morning light.

_Fuck._


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> a shorter chapter, something i'd call the calm before the storm....

Tsukishima didn’t bring up the change in marks, considering he didn’t know for certain whether Kageyama had gained _his_ mark. His own marks were vibrant, colourful in a way his last ones hadn’t been for three years. The scars on his wrist hurt every now and then, especially in the dark of the night when he was alone with his thoughts. There hadn’t been any messages from Kuroo, Bokuto or Akaashi, even though they must’ve felt the burn and gotten the scars too. One night, he read up on soulmates, and scarred marks, even though he’d promised himself he wouldn’t. He discovered something called a ‘temporary soulmate’, that was given the marks of two and more people who weren’t his actual soulmates, because otherwise the original pairing wouldn’t survive. The lack of interest made sense then. Once Akaashi moved in, the relationship had been safe, and their mark for Tsukki disappeared. However, Tsukishima kept hanging onto the relationship, which only prolonged the inevitable. That was why they stopped talking to him, why they stopped including him in their lives. Because his place in the relationship was a temporary one, and he was apparently the only one out of the four of them that hadn’t known.

That’s why he was so hesitant to bring up his new marks to Kageyama. It was obvious that Kunimi and Kageyama were a high-risk couple, one that needed intervention to keep them from staying apart, and Tsukishima didn’t want to go through the pain and heartbreak of the last few years all over again. He cared about Kageyama, and he didn’t want to lose him as a friend, which he would if he lost another two soulmates. The thought of staying friends with someone that he’d handed his entire heart over to, only for it be ruthlessly crushed in a fist, was absurd. It would hurt too much. It would be better if he didn’t get involved with him. He would help him fix his mess with Kunimi as a friend, and then he’d wait for the universe to stop fucking around with him and give him his actual soulmate.

The voice in the back of his head, the one he couldn’t quite ignore, reminded him that some people didn’t have a soulmate. Although, that normally applied to aromantic people, and the truly unlovable. Murderers and psychopaths, not bitchy people with a fear of growing attached. He’d tried to logic away the voice the first time it suggested he’d be one of the few who didn’t have a soulmate, presenting a well-argued case on why he didn’t fit the criteria of the markless, until the voice responded with a quiet _“how do you know you’re not unlovable, it’s not like anyone’s loved you before,”_ which stuck with Kei longer than he’d like to admit. Maybe he was destined to be a temporary soulmate forever.

The thought wasn’t a pleasant one, but not actively one he could dispute. It wasn’t like Kageyama to hold back, if he had his mark, he would have said so by now. Maybe he had the mark, and decided he didn’t want Kei as a soulmate. He already had drama with his other soulmate, he didn’t need someone who was permanently scarred by others, a sign he wasn’t good enough to keep around. He didn’t blame Kageyama for wanting to stay the fuck away from his whole mess.

His text tone broke him from his thoughts, reminding Kei he was just sat in the dark of his room, thumb absentmindedly stroking over the three perfectly circular scars on his wrist.

**_Tadashi [21:41]_ **

_Has Kageyama told you yet?????_

**_Me [21:41]_ **

_?????_

_No???_

**_Tadashi [21:45]_ **

_Oh…..I thought he might’ve_

_He’s playing Hinata next weekend_

_In Sendai_

**_Me [21:46]_ **

_Oh god_

_Both of them are going to be unbearable_

**_Tadashi [21:47]_ **

_Lol_

_Especially when they find out our senpais are planning a reunion there._

_Everyone we played with is probably going to be there._

Kei dropped his phone, head rushing. Everyone meant Kuroo and Akaashi. Of course, it did. Bokuto played with Hinata. He wouldn’t be able to avoid them, unless he didn’t go, which would be the final nail in the coffin of any chance with Kageyama. In short, no matter what choice Kei made, he was screwed.


End file.
